Policy, Ethics and Media

Course manual 2023/2024

Course content

Forensic scientists do not work in isolation from the world. Even though forensic laboratories may at times seem like places that are far remote from public life, forensic science is connected to various other social environments, such as routinely to various forms of research science or to the legal system. However, when the routine breaks down, such as in times of controversy or disagreement, the forensics can take centre stage in public attention. The critical questioning of forensic evidence by lawyers and defendants may then quickly extend to include crime reporters, researchers, policy makers, politicians or even the general public.

Policy, Ethics & Media (PEM) invites the students to 'step outside of the forensic laboratory' and consider the complex landscape in which the forensic scientists operate.  The course analyses how forensic science assesses the solidity of facts, in the context of major social institutions in society, such as science, the law, government, and the media. Each of these institutions has its own way of assessing facts - and reasons why - and we will analyse how these interact in the practice of forensic scientists. A number of controversial criminal cases will be used as a window onto the assessment of facts and understand the complex context in which the forensic scientist is situated. We will do this from the perspective of the social sciences and humanities, which provide us with useful tools and concepts. More specifically we will draw from: Science and Technology Studies, Policy Science, Media Studies, Philosophy of Science and Ethics.

Ultimately, PEM aspires to facilitate the students' development towards becoming reflective practitioners and better understand and interact with the the various stakeholders that operate in the forensic and judicial context. This requires an active approach of the students. It incorporates practical, interactive, individual and group assignments in order to enable the students to acquire skills and insights about multidisciplinary project team dynamics, one-on-one interaction, conflict resolution and learning styles.

Study materials

Literature

• The list of compulsory and voluntary literature can be found on Canvas

Objectives

• Evaluate ethical dilemmas that may arise in the forensic context
• Appraise the influence of the media on forensic practice
• Appraise how sociological dynamics influence forensic practice
• Appraise governance and policy aspects of forensic practice
• Appraise how philosophical understandings influence forensic science
• Critically assess one's role and work as a forensic scientists from the perspective of reflective practice
• Conduct interdisciplinary inquiry regarding forensic practice and be able to communicate findings with a wide variety of relevant stakeholders

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Self-study
• Presentation/symposium
• Tutorials
• Supervision/feedback meeting

This is a full-time 4 week course which will demand from you an active participation in lectures, tutorials, self study, and a group project. For this group project you will be writing an interdisciplinary report on a controversial criminal case, working in teams of around 3-4 students. Each team will have a different case. In these group reports you will demonstrate your ability to evaluate a controversial case using a wide variety of (conceptual) lenses that are taught in PEM.

Learning activities

Attendance

This programme does not have requirements concerning attendance (OER part B).

Additional requirements for this course:

Additional requirements for this course:

It is highly recommended to attend all planned education activities. This enhances the learning community and increases the chances to successfully complete the course. The indicated compulsory education activities are essential for attaining the course objectives.

Additional requirements for this course:
It is presupposed that all students will be present in lectures and tutorials. Tutorials are compulsory. If you miss one tutorial you will have to make a replacement assignment. Missing two or more tutorials will automatically result in the loss of credit for the practical / tutorial part of the course.

Assessment

All components will be graded on a scale from 1 to 10, with a maximum of one decimal after the point. These grades are used to calculate the final grade. In order to pass the course, all components and the final grade have to be sufficient, i.e. at least a five and a half. ,) When a student has not fulfilled this requirement, the examiner will register the mark ‘did not fulfil all requirements’ (NAV) whether or not the averaged grade is sufficient.
The components will be weighted as follows.

1. Written examination (50%, individual, open book)
2. Group Report (40%)
3. Presentation Group Report (10%)

The exam covers knowledge regarding the main models and definition of disciplinary specific concepts of relevant social sciences and humanities (learning outcome 1-5).
The group report covers skills to reframe, analyze and interpret issues in a specific forensic case, in an interdisciplinary manner, drawing from the concepts discussed in PEM (learning outcomes 1-5), as well as the skill to convey findings to a wide range of relevant stakeholders (learning outcome 7). Additionally, it is an invitation to reflect on the nature and practice of forensic science and how one envisages to operate in the complex forensic context in the future. The team score will be the mean of chapter quality scores (i.e., proper application of the disciplinary models to analyse the case, and correct use of concepts). A dedicated rubrics is provided on Canvas. 

The final grade will be announced at the latest on July 20st (= 15 working days after the final course activity). Shortly thereafter (or preferably before) a post-exam discussion or inspection moment will be planned. This will be announced on Canvas and/or via email.

Table of specification: the relation between the Learning Outcomes (LO) of the course, the assessment components of the course and the Exit Qualifications (EQ) of the Master’s Forensic Science (described in the Introduction in the Course Catalogue)

Assignments

The assessment of this course consists of three components:

1. Final examination
The exam of this course will be a written open book exam, based on the content covered during the course. The final exam will be assessed on an individual basis and aims to test your ability to apply the knowledge you gained (i.e. theoretical concepts we discussed in PEM) to concrete cases and examples.

2 Criminal case report
The second component consists of a group report in which you will apply concepts of this course to a controversial criminal case. Working in groups, your assignment is to ‘re-tell’ the case through the different lenses, or in other words, describe the case as interdisciplinary researchers.

To this end, you will write a report consisting of eight chapters, each dedicated to different concepts, on the case your group has selected. The case studies used in this course are described below. A separate document “report guide”, provided on Canvas, provides additional detailed information.

3. Criminal case  report group presentation
You will hold a presentation of the aforementioned report, which aims to stimulate discussion among your peers, as aspiring reflective forensic practitioners. 

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

Fraud & Plagiarism: General UvA rules apply (https://student.uva.nl/en/topics/plagiarism-and-fraud). All written reports are submitted through Canvas assignments (view/complete assignments) to be automatically checked for plagiarism. When blocks of text are found to be copied without proper references, the exam committee will be notified. Suspicion of fraud during the exam will be send to the examination committee. Examination committee is able to terminate your participation in the master course.

Attendance: Attending all scheduled education activities is strongly advised. By doing so, you actively contribute to a lively learning community and significantly improve your chances of successfully completing the course. The designated mandatory activities play a crucial role in achieving the course objectives and are essential for your overall progress.

Additional requirements for this course:
It is presupposed that all students will be present in lectures and tutorials. Tutorials are compulsory. If you miss one tutorial you will have to make a replacement assignment. Missing two or more tutorials will automatically result in the loss of credit for the practical / tutorial part of the course.

Contact information

Coordinator

• Virgil Rerimassie